Toronto police close downtown streets, warn of heavier presence amid ongoing convoy protests in Ottawa

A large portion of downtown Toronto is closed to vehicles for the third weekend in a row after police closed several roads in case of another convoy protest in the city.

Toronto police announced Friday evening the closure of the area bounded by Spadina Road to the west, Queen Street West to the south, Church Street to the east, and Davenport Road to the north.

This means there will be no vehicular access to Queen’s Park, the Hospital Row, Toronto City Hall, Yonge-Dundas Square, and several other downtown attractions.

It is the third consecutive weekend that police have closed roads in the core in anticipation of a possible convoy protest similar to the weeks-long demonstration in Ottawa.

Police previously said the closures ensure that essential services will remain uninterrupted and prevent trucks and other convoy vehicles from entering the downtown area.

The past two weekend demonstrations in Toronto had been peaceful, according to police. Hundreds gathered downtown to protest vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions.

Police also said Friday that they will also have a greater number of uniformed officers in the core this weekend.

“We are continuously monitoring security issues not just in Toronto but around the country,” a spokesperson for the Toronto police said.

“In response, we make the appropriate adjustments to our plans in order to mitigate the potential risks to public safety. This includes having the flexibility to scale up and down based on any operational requirements.”

Police in Ottawa have started to arrest protesters that have been camping near Parliament Hill for more than three weeks. On Friday, police arrested at least 100 people and towed more than 20 vehicles as they ramped up their operation to put an end to the protest.